Tonight's Dinner: Pesto quesadilla recipe

Jennifer is a stay-at-home mom with a passion for writing, vintage clothes, old movies and cooking, especially dinners and desserts. Jennifer loves writing so much that whenever she has a spare moment, she spends it writing fiction or ad...

Give your quesadilla an Italian twist

Quesadillas are a quick and easy alternative when you're in a rush. But instead of the same old cheese and tortillas, why not add some fresh summer vegetables and a nice homemade pesto.

Quesadillas are those wonderful cheesy entrees that bring smiles to everyone's faces from child to adult. But the warm summer months mean you can spruce up this classic Mexican dish by adding some delicious fresh vegetables like baby spinach, white corn and heirloom tomatoes. Adding any one of these will ensure you're getting at least one serving of the vegetables we all need every day. You could even give it an Italian twist by spreading some yummy spinach pesto on one of the tortillas. And adding that pesto not only livens up the flavor, it will surprise and bring smiles to everyone's faces.

Pesto quesadilla

Serves 4-6

Ingredients:

8 ounces baby spinach

2 garlic cloves, chopped

1/4 cup olive oil

8 large tortillas

2 cups mozzarella cheese, shredded

1 cup corn kernels

2 heirloom tomatoes, chopped

Directions:

Place the spinach and garlic in a food processor and chop. While the processor runs, pour in the olive oil and let the processor run for another minute until the pesto is well mixed. Set aside.

Sprinkle the shredded mozzarella over one tortilla. Add one-quarter cup of corn kernels and some tomato. Sprinkle a generous amount of cheese over the corn and tomatoes.

Spread two tablespoons of the prepared pesto over a second tortilla.

Place the pestoed tortilla on top of the mozarella tortilla. Repeat with the other six tortillas.

Heat a large skillet and melt some butter over medium-high heat. Add the quesadilla and cook until golden brown and the cheese is melted, about two minutes per side. Slice and serve immediately.